Machine for brushing and cleaning cloth



(No Model.)

A. G; HEATH. MACHINE FOR BRUSHING AND GLEANING CLOTH.

No. 439,949. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBE C. HEATH, OF MANCHESTER, NEIV HAMPSHIRE.

MACHINE FOR BRUSHING AND CLEANING CLOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,949, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed March 14, 1888.

7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBE O. HEATH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county'of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Brushing and Cleaning Cloth; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for brushing and cleaning cloth, especially cotton cloth, the object being to effectually remove all dust and lint from the surface of the finished fabric before it is folded for the market; and the invention consists in the concommonly been finished by the use of brushrollers situated in a horizontal position, so thatthe cloth while undergoing the operation of being brushed runs horizontally through the rollers. By this method, however, the cloth is only imperfectly cleaned or brushed, for a large portion of the dust remains upon and is carried along with the cloth after it has left the brushes. My invention aims to obviate these disadvantages by employing a novel construction and arrangement of parts by means of which the cloth may be effectually cleaned.

In my machine, instead of having the cloth travel horizontally through the rollers, I cause it to move vertically through the machine from the bottom to the top, the brush-rollers being located on opposite sides of it, and suitable guides, &c., being employed to keep it moving in the right direction. Moreover, each brush or cleaning device will be provided with its own individual and separate dust outlet, chute, or throat, as it may be indifferently termed, whereby the dust and lint may Serial No. 267,147. (No model.)

be conveyed into the receptacle placed to receive it. With this provision of separate dustchutes the possibility of the dust which is brushed or scraped off the cloth by one roller being commingled with the dust taken from another roller is entirely prevented.

Such being a general indication of the leading principles of my, invention, I proceed to describe in detail the construction of the machine.

A denotes a Web of cloth, which passes vertically upward through the machine, at the top of which it passes over guide-rollers ff, whereby it is directed out of the machine. The cloth is kept in its vertical position and guided in its movements by means of horizontal bars or rollers cc 0, which are secured in the frame-work B of the machine. The bars or rollers c c c are arranged above each other in such a manner that the alternate ones will lie in the same vertical plane. This enables the fabric or cloth which is guided to maintain almost a straight vertical position, because each alternate bar or roller is located on the opposite side of it from its successor and predecessor, as will be seen upon inspection of the sectional View of Fig. 2.

The frame-work B of my improved machine may vary considerably in structure without departing from my invention, it being only essential that some suitable frame-work be provided wherein the guide-bars, the brushrollers, the guide-rollers, the dust-chutes, and the other parts of the detailed structure of the mechanism which I employ for carrying my invention into practical effect may be suitably located. I will not therefore enter into any specific description of the construction of the frame-work, but merely state that it is properly made to support the several parts of the invent-ion.

On opposite sides of the cloth are located brush-rollers I). They are suitably constructed to brush the cloth. The upper two are preferably bristle brushes. They are carried by shafts G, which are journaled in the frame of the machine and provided with pulleys g for the application of the driving-belts. In the example of machine illustrated in the drawings I employ six brush-rollers, three being located on each side of the cloth. They are situated in such a manner as to come in contact with the cloth at points between the guide-bars c c. Said bars guide the cloth and make a tension thereon so as to prevent it use which is collected from the cloth bymeans of the brush-rollers may be conveyed away.

E E represent dust-boxes, which are placed in the bottom of the machine, and are adapted to receive the dust, &c., which is thrown into them by the chutes. In order to construct these chutes, plates or partitions cl d d (1 &c., are provided. The sectional view clearly indicates their arrangement. They lie in an inclined position in the frame-work. The partition d is located to partially surround the lower of the brush-rollers and its upper edge lies in close proximity to the third guide-bar from the bottom, there being only enough space left between said guide-bar and the edge of the partition d to permit the passage through it of the web of cloth A. The partition 01 forms in connection with the partition d of the dust-box (said partition d reaching to a point in close proximity to the lower guidebar) a chute or throat which will receive all of the dust collected by the lower brush-roller and conduct the sameinto the dust-box E. The partition (1, which extends upward so that its upper edge is in close proximity to the fourth guide-bar from the bottom, and which partially surrounds the second brush-roller, forms.

in connection with the partition (1 that extends to near the second guide-bar, a throat or chute for receiving the dust collected by the second brush-roller and carrying it down into the dust-box. Furthermore, the partition d the upper edge of which is close to the fifth guide-bar from the bottom, partially surrounds the third brush-roller, and in connection with the partition d forms an outlet for carrying dust into the box E. The upper side of the partition d serves as an inclined wall to conduct the dust collected by the brush immediately above it down to the dust-box. The partition (i is so located that its upper edge will come close to the upper guide-bar, and it partially surrounds the fourth brush-roller from the bottom, and forms with the partition d athroat for the dust collected by the fourth brush-roller, while the upper surface of said portion at constitutes a plane for directing the dust from the upper brush toward the dustbox.

Although I have described in detail the location of the several partitions which constitute the throats or chutes for the different brush-rollers, I do not intend to confine myself to this arrangement, but reserve the liberty of varying the same within wide limits for accomplishing the same result.

The operation of my improved machine will be obvious from the foregoing description of the construction and arrangement of the several parts without need of further detail, for it will be obvious that as the cloth travels upward through the machine it will come in contact successively with each of the brushrollers, which will act independently upon it, collecting from it all the dust and lint which may be thereon and conveying the same into a dust-box. When the cloth at length emerges from the machine after having beensubj ected to several brushings, it will be found to be effectively cleaned of all dust and lint and in proper condition for folding for market.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the guide-bars c c, the brush-rollers b b, and the partitions d d (1 d all arranged to clean a vertically-moving web of cloth, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the guide-bars ar, ranged alternately on opposite sides of the cloth, as stated, the brush-rollers similarly arranged on opposite sides of the cloth in proximity to the guide-bars, the partitions which form the dust-chutes for the brush-rollers, the dust-boxes E E, and the guide-rollers ff, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- ALBE O. HEATH.

i/Vitnesses:

J ESSE B. PATTEE, B. P. GILLEY. 

